Dabiz Muñoz ‘s rice dishes are once again sowing controversy. At least, among the staunch defenders of paella, who defend that there is only one and it is the Valencian one.
The Madrid chef with 3 Michelin stars has presented through his Instagram profile his new creation at StreetXO: a “Paella Thai Tom Yum squared”, described as “a dish that will blow heads and explode taste buds”. However, what has really exploded are social networks, where the use of the term paella has raised a storm of criticism in comments.
While many users applaud the innovation, others have been quick to jump to defend the orthodoxy of traditional cuisine. “‘Paella’ just because it has rice in it?” one user questioned. “And why do you call it paella? Thai rice and let’s go…”.
From Alicante, another one defended: “If I had said ‘This rice dish blah blah blah blah style…’ it would have been more correct. I have no doubt that it has to be good. But it is not PAELLA. I am from Alicante and I don’t like to find places where they advertise ‘Paella de marisco, de verduras…’. One thing is Paella Valenciana and the rest are rice dishes”.
“With all the respect in the world, and knowing how good a cook you are, the bases of traditional cuisine must be respected. […] It may be very tasty, but it is not. And of course, a rice dish with chocolate shavings will never be a paella”, explained another.
Some tried to take it with humor, with joking comments: “The other day I made a cocido madrileño that was delicious, the macaroni was just right”.
Despite the controversy, StreetXO will soon be serving this dish at both its Madrid and Dubai locations, and the expectation is only growing. Because if Dabiz Muñoz has shown that he knows how to cook not only intense flavors, but also with the stoves of controversy to the maximum.
Revolution or provocation? Dabiz Muñoz’s “paella” has achieved, once again, what many chefs only dream of: that everyone talks about it.